Tips on How to Maintain Healthy Habits as You Transition Back to Fall

September is a New Start

While we typically think of January 1st as the reset to the year, September is also a huge transition time that brings with it new routines, new schedules and new demands. The summer typically comes with a slow pace and less demands, but in September we start looking ahead and refocus on our health goals. As you make the transition to fall it’s important to not lose focus on the healthy habits you have achieved or are looking to achieve. 

Exercise, Movement and Nutrition

When thinking about our overall health there are many different areas that we must take into consideration. Overall we can look at mental health, physical health and social health. I want to take a moment and focus on physical health and how it is one of the easier aspects to neglect as life gets busy as we transition back into September. This year not only are we looking at the kids being back in school, but for many it also means transitioning back into working from the office.

There are two main components that contribute to physical health: Exercise/Movement and Nutrition. It’s important to have as many tricks and tools in your toolbox as possible when going into busy times so that you have the best possibility of success. Below you will find some of the top tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy routine and continuing to build on any progress you have made during the summer or while working from home.

Exercise/Movement:

Commuting can make it difficult to find time to exercise. When we look at exercise as a large event with multiple steps (change into workout gear, exercise, shower, change into work clothes etc.) there are many barriers to completion. On the other hand when we look at exercise as the sum of all the physical work you did in a day it becomes more manageable. While it’s ideal to have an hour and a half a day to get in a full workout, that may not be your reality every day. On the days when a workout just isn’t in the cards, exercise snacking may be your best bet! This is a method where you add in little ‘snacks’ of exercise throughout the day that don’t require changing your clothes or getting yourself to the gym. This can include things like taking the stairs, parking further away from work to increase your walk, doing 40 air squats each time you get up from your desk, doing 15 push ups after each meeting etc. By including short bouts of small exercises it will eventually add up to a large amount of exercise. 

Nutrition:

While the plan of attack for exercise is to not plan and to fit it in where possible, the plan for nutrition is the exact opposite! Nutrition doesn’t just fall into place, and if you aren’t prepared you will find yourself struggling to find success. I think the first step is to have a few ‘go-to’, quick and easy food options for the days when things don’t fall into place. Personally, I like to find a location near my office that has salads, somewhere that has protein shakes and then a grocery store that offers lunches that are high in protein. By having a few sources of generally okay meals around,  I am less likely to grab the less ideal foods for lunches when I am unprepared. 

Secondly I always suggest having a short list of breakfasts and lunches that you can rotate through. Having a short list of meal options means that you can have the same items on your grocery list each week and always have them in stock. While dinner is harder to keep consistent, breakfast and lunch are usually quite easy because you are less likely to have to cater to others and/or be out. Thirdly, I always have a box of protein bars at my desk for those days when nothing falls into place and getting a lunch break is impossible. 

Lastly, a less common approach that a colleague of mine practices is to simply not eat at all, or ‘fast’ if he can not eat the right foods. While fasting has pros and cons and depends on the individual and situation, his reasoning, like others who practice fasting, is that waiting a few hours for a proper meal should not take much effort. The key here is to practice self-discipline to make the right food choices after fasting and not to overeat when meal time comes. Check out Fasting for Beginners for more info 

For the times when things do go well, and you have had time to grocery shop and prepare food it’s important to keep it simple. Again, by keeping your breakfast and lunch similar most days it will allow you to always have those foods on hand. For busy days I like to have a protein shake with milk or water. I place the protein shaker beside my coffee maker and drink my shake while my coffee brews. Nova Health Club offers protein powder in both Whey and Vegan formulas if you wish to use this as a tool to help you create nutrition simplicity.  By having easy to maintain habits, it will allow you to continue hitting your nutrition goals as life becomes busier and as we transition back to more normal routines in September. Do you need accountability and customized tips and tricks to support you this fall? We offer 1on1 nutrition coaching that can help you reach your goals faster!